This book examines how repertoires of speech and action that are often considered to be mutually exclusive--those of church and state--clash or unite during the postdisaster period as local communities and cities struggle to establish a stable collective identity. Based on an analysis of forty in-depth interviews with disaster-response participants and over 325 print-media sources, this study explores, first, the extent to which ministers and citizens challenge statist narratives in order to publicly relay theological views; second, the cultural processes by which local places are nationalized and theologized; and third, the ecclesiological convictions necessary to peaceably advance the work of Christ's body after disasters.

Using the Benedictine practice of lectio divina, or holy reading, as a way of reading an illness, as a way to relate better to one's body and soul.

"God's eternal plan for us involves our body. We can't write off our physical life as spiritually irrelevant." — Sam Allberry There's a danger in focusing too much on the body. There's also a danger in not valuing it enough. In fact, the Bible has lots to say about the body. With the coming of Jesus, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us"—flesh that was pierced and crushed for the sins of the world. In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies, Sam Allberry explains that all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made, and should regard our physicality as a gift. He offers biblical guidance for living, including understanding gender, sexuality, and identity; dealing with aging, illness, and death; and considering the physical future hope that we have in Christ. In this powerfully written book, you'll gain a new understanding for the immeasurable value of our bodies and God's ultimate plan to redeem them.

Publishers Weekly Bestseller "If you’re tired of surface-level teaching and shallow faith, this book will ignite a fire in your soul for a deeper walk with Jesus and draw you into the depths of the Word.” ——Gretchen Saffles, founder of Well-Watered Women Why We Need Jesus More Than Compliments "You're a beautiful daughter of the Most High King." And it's true. But it's not the whole truth. The beauty of being God's daughter has backstory. If you're tired of hearing the watered-down Christian teaching and hungry for a deeper spiritual life—one that gives real answers to your hardest questions—Stop Calling Me Beautiful teaches you how. You will learn how to pursue the truths of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him how to study Scripture, and how your view of God determines how you face life's challenges how legalism, shallow theology, and false teaching keep you from living boldly as a woman of the Word how to experience God's presence in painful circumstances Jesus doesn't offer a powerless salvation. He makes your brokenness part of His whole redemption story—if you allow Him to. Don't settle for a feel-good faith. If you want victory over insecurity, fear, shame, and the circumstances you are facing, it's time to embrace Jesus. All of Him.

What do you do when pain and brokenness force their way into life? What about when life deals you a blow that you're not sure you can recover from? Should you try to avoid the pain, move through it as quickly as possible, or numb it until it passes? Could there be any value in suffering? How you handle pain and how you allow others to experience their pain reveals what you believe to be true about yourself, others, and God. What do you do when life inscribes words on your heart that you wish weren't there? Words like shame, fear, hopelessness and bitterness. My adoptive mother would tell me, "I got you out of the gutter, and I can put you back there." She was right. I did start out and travel through some very dark places in my life, but I did not remain there. I have God to thank for that! Not the God that fancy religious people told me about, but the God that I got to know for myself. This is the story of a life redeemed in so many beautiful ways!

This book examines how repertoires of speech and action that are often considered to be mutually exclusive--those of church and state--clash or unite during the postdisaster period as local communities and cities struggle to establish a stable collective identity. Based on an analysis of forty in-depth interviews with disaster-response participants and over 325 print-media sources, this study explores, first, the extent to which ministers and citizens challenge statist narratives in order to publicly relay theological views; second, the cultural processes by which local places are nationalized and theologized; and third, the ecclesiological convictions necessary to peaceably advance the work of Christ's body after disasters. ""Santos brilliantly shows how only a politics of the cross provides us with a true theoretical insight into the increasing instance of disaster and a true practical measure of restorative response."" --John Milbank, author of Theology and Social Theory and The Future of Love: Essays in Political Theology (Cascade Books, 2008) ""I know of no other book like this one. Santos has taken his training as a sociologist and combined it with astute theological analysis. The book is fascinating because macro-observations about the larger contest and cooperation between the church and the nation-state are rooted in microanalyses of empirical data and interviews of ordinary people responding to disasters. This book will add to social theories about the 'states of emergency' under which we live. It will also add to theological reckonings with the idea that the whole of the Christian life is a response to disaster."" --William T. Cavanaugh, author of Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire ""This book offers an original study-disasters and the church-state interactions that follow them-which sheds light on the big questions of civil religion and the use of theological language for political ends. Crises of various sorts have become catalysts in redrawing-or erasing-the lines between church and state, civic and sacred, citizen and believer. Not only does he offer a masterful account of how and why this happens, Gabriel Santos also provides a nuanced theological assessment on why this is harmful to the church and its mission. This is a well-written example of interdisciplinary scholarship done well. This timely and provocative book deserves broad reception and discussion."" --Michael L. Budde, author of The (Magic) Kingdom of God: Christianity and Global Culture Industries Gabriel A. Santos is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Lynchburg College.

Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were "born again?" You look in the mirror and see the same reflection - your body hasn't changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same old temptations - that didn't seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed? The correct answer to that question is foundational for receiving from God. If you lack this basic understanding, you'll forever ask yourself doubt-filled questions like: "How could God love somebody like me?" and "How can I possibly expect to receive anything from the Lord? I don't deserve it, I'm not good enough!" Spirit, Soul, and Body will help you eliminate those and other doubt-filled questions that destroy your faith. If you have trouble receiving from God, this is a must-read!